Soo I have spending these past few days around the house basically doing nothing. I was told not to lift anything heavy and to rest as much as possible to let my heart and the entry point heal.

Doing nothing you realize there are so many things you miss doing. But as time goes on I gingerly start to do things again. 

We finally got the Christmas decorations off the front door and the tree came down. We still have the ornaments in their bags but I have to wait another couple of days to go get the tubs for them. Then maybe we can be normal again, at least as close to normal as we can.

I will try to post here as much as possible. I know I have time but the writing in me does not have the same appeal as it used to be. I want to write, I feel I need to write, but like a lot of things, I have lost interest. Writing on this blog may help me get back into the groove.

Outside the snow is still there, the cold will not let it melt. The look of winter is beautiful to some but all I see is cold and snow and ice. I am so looking forward to warmer temps again. I hate having to put on boots and coats and gloves and a hat just to go to the grocery store for a couple of items. The store is right behind where I live but I still take the van rather than walk. Too much ice and snow makes the walk dangerous.

Well off for now now. If something else exciting happens, I will be sure to let you know.

A new year...a new me...sort of

 Well, here it is, a new year. I look outside at the snow and I fell the cold. It seems just like last year. Of course, I know there is something different.

It started three days before Christmas. I was feeling sick and I had to visit the porcelain god to throw up into. I never made it, I passed out in front of it. Smashed the bathroom waste basket. Flat. It was made of wire so it didn't take much weight to smash it. I awoke wondering what had happened. I decided it was the medicine I was taking and not eating. I went back to bed and tried to fall back asleep.

A couple of hours (?) later I had the feeling coming on again. Again I didn't make it to the toilet. I collapsed along side of it. My wife heard me making a noise so she witnessed my falling and hitting my head on the cabinet. She said I was out for a few seconds. She called 911. I first refused saying I was okay but as I thought about my falling not once but twice, I told her to have them come.

The EMTs arrived, helped me to the gurney and took me to the hospital ER. My wife cannot drive so she could not follow me but the medical staff said they would keep her informed of my condition. The nurses and the doctor thought, like I, that the passing out was a symptom of my medicine. Their mind changed when a passed out again. While I was on the ER bed. When I awoke, they said that I was non-responsive for 23 seconds. They had to use emergency procedures to get my heart started again. I awoke with my bed surrounded by nurses and doctors, all discussing what had happened. The next 24 hrs was filled with tests of every kind. A heart specialist was called in to assess the results. I was transferred to ICU were I could be watched until a treatment could be decided on.

Finally they reached a decision. The lower half of my heart was stopping which also stopped the blood flow to my brain, which is why I passed out. I literally died for 23 seconds. The cardiologist decided on a pacemaker implant.

Years ago, pacemakers were large, cigarette pack sized devices that were implanted in the shoulder area of the body and had leads connecting the device to the heart. Now the devices are much smaller. It is about the size of a small caliber bullet or a large vitamin capsule, whichever you can imagine. They go through the groin area, through an artery, and place the device directly into the bottom of the heart. You cannot see it and the only wound is the insert point in the groin. It is totally computerized and I am told the battery lasts for about ten years.

So here I am, alive, in a new year, with a new part added to keep me alive. Watch out Skynet, here I come.